The Secret Life of Tweenage Hobbits
by Maplefrost
Summary: A multichapter fic following the lives of the four hobbits in their younger years. Please R&R!
1. Chapter 1: Books and Slingshots

It was a sunny day in Hobbiton. Clear skies, a gentle breeze, and a bright sun warming the hills. A good day for reading outside, in the opinion of some. Others, however, did not agree.

Frodo Baggins was one of those hobbits that, on days like this, would grab a good book and sit in the grass for awhile. His cousin, Meriadoc Brandybuck (known as Merry), did not agree in the slightest. He'd rather be doing anything else.

Frodo was reading a book, his back resting on the base of a tree trunk, while Merry laid on the grass near him, twisting a few blades between his fingers. He looked up at his older cousin, eyeing the book. There were only a few pages left, and when the book was finished…

'He'll probably walk back up to Bag End and get another book,' Merry thought, rolling his eyes.

"What?" Frodo had seen Merry's eye roll over the top of his book.

"Nothing," Merry replied, ripping a blade of grass from the ground. Frodo shrugged and went back to reading.

"So…" Merry said, trying to make some conversation. "I think Divyan Gammbride is growing a little fond of you, don't you think?" He waited a few moments, but Frodo didn't respond. "Don't you think, Frodo?"

Frodo closed the book slowly, using his finger as a bookmark. "You mean… Divy? Who lives down near Bywater?" Merry nodded. "I don't think so," Frodo said with a chuckle.

Merry laughed as well. "You're probably right. I bet she's probably looking for someone with more than air stuffed inside their head." The young Brandybuck didn't have time to move before Frodo's book whacked him on the head. "Hey!"

"You asked for it," Frodo said, snickering. Merry glared at his cousin, but couldn't help but laugh. Not five seconds later, another young hobbit came running towards them. He skidded to a halt.

"Pippin?" The hobbit turned as Frodo called his name. "What's wrong?"

"Uh…" Pippin looked down at the object in his hands - a slingshot.

"What did you do?" Frodo asked.

"I…I hit Vinca with a rock," Pippin murmured.

Frodo shook his head, holding his face in one hand. "Pip, will you ever learn? Let's go find your mum-"

"No!" Pippin jumped away from him. "She'll kill me!"

All three pairs of hobbit eyes widened as footsteps were heard, and a shrill, female voice calling, "Peregrin Took! You come back here this instant!"

"Quick, hide!" Pippin grabbed Merry and Frodo's arms and pulled both of his cousins into a nearby bush.

"Aunt Eglantine! Aun-" Pippin slammed a hand around Frodo's mouth. All three cousins waited as the sound of Mrs. Took's feet ran past them.

"Whew!" Pippin let go of both of them. "That was close!"

Frodo narrowed his eyes at Pippin. "Wait until Uncle Paladin hears about this."

Pippin's eyes went wide. "You wouldn't!" He gasped. "You wouldn't tell my da!" He glared at Frodo. "If you tell I'll tell Bilbo that you were the one who dropped that book of his into the Bywater Pool!"

Frodo's eyes went wide as well. He narrowed his eyes. "Deal." The two hobbits shook. Merry grinned.

"Now, can we please go do something slightly interesting?"


	2. Chapter 2: Frodo Gets All The Girls

"I'm bored."

Pippin complained, yet again, to his cousin, Merry. Both hobbits were leaning on a fence outside The Green Dragon. Merry rolled his eyes. He looked down the path leading away from the pub. He stood up a little straighter.

"What are ya straightenin' yer back for?" Pippin asked.

"Hush!" Merry elbowed him in the ribs, and signaled with his eyes for Pippin to look down the path. Three hobbit girls were walking down the path towards The Green Dragon.

"How'd ya know the Boffin sisters were gonna be here taeday?" Pippin inquired, glancing at Merry.

Merry let out a huff of pride. "I know everything," he stated. He nodded to the three girls as they passed. "Myrtle, Marigold, Menegilda, you all look lovely this morning." He grinned. "Care to join us in the Green Dragon for a while?"

"No thanks," said Menegilda.

"It's fine," replied Myrtle.

"I'm sure we'll survive," scoffed Marigold.

Merry shrugged. "Alright, if you're sure."

The three sisters rolled their eyes. "We're sure," they said, simultaneously. At the same time, the door to the Green Dragon opened.

"Thank you, Mr. Burrowes!"

Frodo walked out of the pub, a book clutched in one hand. Next to him walked another hobbit, considerably older than him.

"Oh, it's no trouble," said Mr. Burrowes.

"Really, thank you, sir," Frodo said again. "I've been looking for this book for a while now."

Mr. Burrowes chuckled. "It's fine. And it's Ilberic, not 'Mr. Burrowes.'"

Frodo smiled. The two hobbits shook hands, and Ilberic walked away. Frodo lingered a moment, watching the clouds, and then started to walk up the path. He reached Merry, Pippin, and the Boffin sisters.

"Hello Merry, hello Pippin," he greeted cheerily. He turned to the sisters and gave a little bow. "Hello, ladies. How are you this fine afternoon?"

The three girls giggled, and curtsied. "Very well, thank you, Mr. Baggins," said Marigold. Merry snorted.

Frodo laughed. "It's Frodo, Marigold," he said.

"Well," said Marigold, batting her eyelashes. "You can call me Mary, if you want." Her two sisters snickered and exchanged glances.

"So, Frodo." Myrtle spoke up. "We were headed to the Green Dragon. Care to join us?" Pippin's jaw dropped open.

Frodo shook his head. "I would love to, but I think I'm going to head home and start this book."

The sisters put on looks of dissapointment. "Oh," muttered Menegilda. "Well, goodbye Frodo!" The three sisters looked at Merry and Pippin, rolled their eyes, and walked away.

Frodo walked away as well, headed for Bag End.

"How did he do that?" Pippin whispered to Merry.

Merry sighed. "It's a principle of life, Pip. The clueless ones get all the girls."


	3. Chapter 3: Nets and Nets

"Oh no!"

Pippin placed the basket he held on the ground, and then looked up to face his cousin, Merry, who had issued the exclamation.

"What's wrong, Mer?"

Frodo leaned two fishing poles against a tree as he voiced Pippin's question. Merry leaned a net and a fishing pole against the same tree, and looked out towards the dock. On the dock was a small table with a bench on either side.

"I forgot the other net," Merry whined. "I left it at Bag End when Pip and I went digging for bait."

Frodo sighed. "Alright. Stay here, I'll go grab it." The oldest of the three hobbits went running off. As soon as he was out of sight, Merry walked out onto the dock. Pippin followed him.

"We don't need two nets, Merry," Pippin said. Merry, who was sitting on one of the benches, rolled his eyes.

"I know that, Pip. I need to talk to you."

Pippin sat on the bench opposite Merry. Merry leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table.

"We've got to find a way to get Frodo with Divyan," Merry muttered.

Pippin tilted his head. "Why?"

Merry rolled his eyes again. "Because, Pip," he moaned. "If Frodo's got a gal, then all the other girls will be depressed. And who will they turn to?"

Pippin thought a moment. After realizing that Merry was glaring at him, his eyes widened. "Oh, right! Us?"

"Very good, Pip."

Pippin smiled. Then, his grin faded. "I thought you wanted to get them together so no one would notice that you like her."

Merry narrowed his eyes. "Hush, you fool of a Took! Someone's going to hear you!"

Pippin merely chuckled.

-About a week later-

"Frodo!"

Upon hearing his name called, Frodo looked up from the book he'd been reading.

"Divyan Gammidge!" He smiled, closing his book and standing up. "What are you doing here this fine afternoon?"

Divyan smiled. "Well-"

Before she could finish her statement, there was a whooshing sound. In the blink of an eye, both hobbits were being held above the ground in a large, knitted net.

"What the?" Frodo struggled, but the net had been made with strong fibers. "Hello? Anyone?"

"Help! Help!" Both Frodo and Divyan tried to call to someone, but no one was around.

-x-X-x-

"C'mon, keep going?"

"Where are we going aga-"

"Ssh! Whisper!"

Pippin shushed Merry as the two hobbits crept through the woods.

"Why are we-"

"I said to whisper!"

This time, Merry kept his mouth shut. His younger cousin led them on for a little while longer, until they were at the edge of a clearing. Pippin crouched behind a bush, and Merry mirrored him.

"Now, look."

Following Pippin's orders, Merry peered through the bushes. There, in the clearing, were Frodo and Divyan, hanging in a net.

"I did like you said!" Pippin whispered excitedly. "I got them together!"

Merry smacked himself in the forehead with his palm. "Pip, this isn't what I mea-" He stopped talking when he heard voices from the clearing.

"So, looks like we'll be hanging around for a while."

Frodo's joke made Divyan giggle. Merry smiled.

"Actually, this might just work."


	4. Chapter 4: Relationships

"Frodo? Divyan?"

Merry walked into the clearing with mock surprise on his face. He looked up at the two hobbits, suspended in the air.

"Merry! Thank goodness!" Frodo twisted his head to look at his cousin. "Could you please get us down from here?"

Merry shrugged. "I'll try," he promised. He quickly found the tree the net was hanging from and began to climb it. As he climbed, he listened in on Frodo and Divyan's quiet conversation. Apparently, before Merry's arrival, they had been discussing a book on plants written by some author Merry didn't care enough to remember. By the time that he had reached the branch, the hobbits below him had switched to talk about how funny Merry looked, with his legs wrapped around the small tree to keep from falling.

"He's quite the climber, eh, Div?" Frodo asked. Divyan couldn't contain her giggles.

"Do you want to get down or not?" Merry snapped. He untied the knot and let the net fall.

-x-X-x-

After the 'net' incident, Frodo and Divyan were closer than ever. Every day, Frodo would travel down to Bywater to spend time with her, whether they be fishing, reading, or just talking. For months, this routine continued. However, their relationship, much to Pippin and Merry's disappointment, remained platonic.

-x-X-x-

"Ready to go, Pip?"

Merry and Pippin had been hanging around the Green Dragon for about an hour now, neither of them in a party mood. Pippin nodded, and both hobbits headed out of the pub, softly chatting about Divyan and Frodo. As they talked, they saw a dark, hooded figure start to shuffle up the road to Hobbiton, walking stick in hand.

"Hello!" Pippin skipped along, with Merry following, towards the strange hobbit.

"What do you want?" The hobbit's voice was deep and scratchy. Pippin edged back a little.

"He's scary, Mer," Pippin muttered into Merry's ear.

Merry elbowed his cousin in the side. "Hush, Pip. Manners!" He looked at the hobbit. "Hello sir! My name is Meriadoc, and this is my cousin, Per-" He stopped talking as the figure ran off.

"Well," Merry muttered. "That was rude of him."

-x-X-x-

Over the next few weeks, Merry and Pippin saw the same figure night after night. After a while, the two hobbits decided that enough was enough - they were going to discover who it was. They decided they needed the help of someone…more intelligent.

So, they went to see Frodo.

"Hello there, you two!" Bilbo greeted them cheerfully as he opened the door for them. "What do you need?"

"We were just wondering if we could talk to Frodo. Is he around?"

At Merry's words, Bilbo's face fell. "I'm sorry, he's not here. In fact, I hardly see him anymore."

This shocked both of the young hobbits. Bilbo and Frodo were as close as father and son. "What do you mean?" Pippin asked.

Bilbo sighed. "He hasn't come to Bag End in weeks. I know he's old enough to make his own decisions, but I'm starting to get very worried about him." He paused. "Maybe you two could…?"

Merry nodded, trouble by this new information. "Of course. Me and Pip will get right on it."

Bilbo smiled, and quietly shut the door.

"Right after we catch this mystery hobbit," Merry muttered.

-x-X-x-

There he was.

Merry could see the cloaked figure from the bush where he hid. As usual, the figure was limping up the hill, towards Bindbole wood. Merry and Pippin had discovered that every night, that was were the figure disappeared.

Pippin saw him, too; he was hiding in a bush on the other side of the road, waiting for a signal from Merry. Both hobbits sat, still, as the hobbit slowly made his way up the road, breathing deep and heavily.

A soft whistle brushed across the air. Pippin smiled, and jumped out at the signal. "Aha!"

The figure jumped, startled. However, before he could run, Merry was on his other side. "We've got you now!"

"Please," the hobbit rasped. "Leave me alone!" He tried to push past, but Pippin grabbed his arm. Before he could protest again, Merry started to take off his hood.

"No!" The hobbit stumbled backwards, his entire cloak coming off as he fell. His walking stick fell sideways. Pippin, who had been pushed away by the hobbit as he tripped, scurried over to Merry's side to look at the hobbit.

Merry dropped the cloak. The hobbit they saw before them was clothed in bloodstained fabric. His face was covered with bruises and scars, open cuts, and his nose wasn't right. Merry and Pippin's eyes went wide.

"Don't tell!" Frodo rasped. "I can't let him know. Please, don't tell!"


	5. Chapter 5: The Truth

Short chappie! Stop whining. I could have given you nothing.

* * *

"Frodo?" Merry leaned down to help him up.

"Don't touch me!" Frodo snapped. His voice sounded like rocks on glass. He narrowed his eyes at Merry, as if he didn't trust him.

"What's wrong with your voice?" Pippin asked.

"I don't know," Frodo muttered.

"Forget your voice!" Merry yelled. "What about the rest of you!"

"Hush!" Frodo begged. His eyes filled with tears. "Please, don't shout! He might hear you."

"Who?" Pippin asked.

Frodo looked around. Slowly, he raised himself off the ground. He took his cloak from Merry. "Follow me," he murmured.

-x-X-x-

Frodo led them, silently and slowly, up the hill and past Bag End. Merry gulped as Frodo led them straight into Bindbole forest.

"Frodo, it's scary-"

"Ssh!" Frodo snapped. Pippin shrunk, biting his lip.

After walking quite a while, Frodo motioned for Merry and Pippin to stop. Frodo took a few steps forward. "Div?"

A few feet ahead, Merry noticed a small tent hanging over a tree branch. A small, shaky voice replied, "Frodo? Is that you?"

Frodo smiled. "Yes," he murmured. The tent flaps rustled, and Divyan Gammidge walked out toward him, stopping short when she saw Pippin and Merry.

"It's all right," Frodo reassured. "They're friends."

Divyan nodded shakily, then looked Frodo over. "Oh, he got your face again," she muttered. "I'll go get the salve." She scurried back to the tent.

"What's going on?" Merry hissed.

"Her father's gone mad," Frodo muttered. "He started…drinking, and now he beats her whenever she even speaks a word."

"Frodo's probably saved my life." Divyan had returned with a rag and a pot of ointment. She dipped the rag in the pot. "We switch, everyday. One day, I go as myself, the other day, Frodo goes as me. He's so drunk that he can't tell the difference."

Merry's eyes were wide. "Why don't you go to the sheriff, or Bilbo, or…something?"

Frodo sighed. "He's threatened to kill her, and…I can't take that chance."

-x-X-x-

The next night, Divyan didn't come back to the tent.

-x-X-x-

"Div?"

Frodo whispered as softly as he could as he opened the door to the Gammidge's hobbit hole. "Divvy?"

"YOU!"

Frodo's eyes widened as he heard the familiar, harsh voice of Mr. Gammidge coming from the kitchen. The hobbit came into the room, and quickly grabbed the front of Frodo's cloak.

"You thought you could fool me with your stupid little plan?" Mr. Gammidge spat. "Well, I snuck after you last night, as I have been the past few nights. If it wasn't for your little friends, the Took and the Brandybuck, you might've given me the slip yet again!"

"Where's Divyann?" Frodo snapped, his eyes alight with fury.

Mr. Gammidge laughed. "Forget about her, boy. She's paid for lying to me, and now, so will you!"


	6. Chapter 6: A Visitor from Stock

Next chapter! It's really short because I felt like the ending was a natural place to stop, not because I'm lazy xD

* * *

"Frodo?"

Merry peered into the small tent that Frodo had shown him and Pippin the night before. "Divyan?"

Pippin, who was walking next to his older cousin, started to wander off into the woods. "Div? Frodo?"

"Hush!" Merry held a finger to his lips. "Be quiet, remember?"

Pippin's eyes widened. "Oh. Sorry."

"HELP!"

A loud scream rang out from far off. Merry and Pippin, alarmed, turned and ran towards the scream's unknown source. They emerged from Bindbole Wood just in time to see a hobbit woman running towards Bag End. She banged her fist on the door.

"Mr. Baggins, Mr. Baggins!" She cried desperately, until Bilbo came to the door.

"Why, Mathilde Lillywater, what a surprise! I thought you'd moved to Stock a long time ago." Just catching on to her rushed nature, Bilbo frowned. "What's wrong?"

Mathilde, tears running down her face, swallowed. "I did move to Stock," she said. "But, I came come to visit my sister's husband and my niece. You know, the Gammidges? Well, I came to the door, and it was wide open. I walked inside and…and…" She collapsed into tears. "Well, first thing I see is my brother-in-law, unconscious, trapped underneath a desk. And then, I see a trail of blood, leading farther into the hobbit hole…" Unable to support herself, she fell forward, grasping the front of Bilbo's shirt to hold her up. "And I walk into little Divvy's bedroom…And there she is, lying on the floor, bruised and battered, her pretty face bloodied!"

Bilbo's eyes widened. "Oh, oh Mathilde…" He helped her to her feet, and she leaned into his shoulder, still crying.

"That's not all, Mr. Baggins," she choked out. "She was holding the hand of your little boy!"

"Frodo?"

"Yes." Mathilde nodded into Bilbo's shoulder. "He was beaten pretty bad, Mr. Baggins!"

Bilbo pulled Mathilde's hands off of him gently. "Mathilde, I want you to get the mayor. Now." The frightened hobbit nodded and ran off. Bilbo spotted Merry and Pippin farther up the path. "Merry!" he yelled. "Come with me! Pippin, go to the Gamgee's and get Sam and his father to come down to the Gammidges immediately!"

-x-X-x-

Bilbo walked into the Gammidge's hobbit hole, worried that Mr. Gammidge was awake. However, he saw that the man was still unconscious, as Mathilde had said.

"Come on, Merry," he whispered. The younger hobbit nodded and followed Bilbo inside. "Oh dear…" It didn't take him long to spot the thin trail of blood that Ms. Lillywater had described. Without a word to one another, the two of them followed the line of red until they reached what they assumed was Divyann's bedroom.

"Divyann! Frodo!" Bilbo and Merry knelt next to the two hobbits, the latter with Divyann and the former next to Frodo. Both frantically checked for any signs of life.

"He's alive!" Bilbo, with his hand on Frodo's wrist, was relieved to find a pulse. He looked at Merry, who had one hand on Divyan's wrist, the other on her neck. After a few moments, he laid his head on her chest. He lifted his head, golden hair now smeared with blood, and grabbed Divyann's wrist again.

"Is she alive?"

Merry shook his head, tears beginning to form. "No," he murmured. "We're too late."


	7. Chapter 7: The Funeral

The funeral was a large affair.

Hobbits from all over Hobbiton came out to witness the burial of Divyann Gammidge. Frodo, leaning on a walking stick, stared into space during the entire ceremony, his eyes glassed over.

After the funeral, Bilbo led him home, murmuring words of comfort that Frodo didn't appear to perceive. Merry and Pippin, ashamed at what they had done, followed them home, accompanied by Sam. The three young hobbits were let in by Bilbo, and directed into the sitting room, where Frodo was staring into the roaring fireplace, resting in a chair. Understanding that they needed to talk, Bilbo left the room.

"I'm sorry for your loss." Sam broke the silence, kneeling on Frodo's right. He took his hand in both of his. "Divyann was a great lass, and she didn't deserve to die like that."

Merry and Pippin both nodded, walking over to stand near Sam. Silence followed. "If we had just kept our noses in our own business," Pippin muttered, sounding a little angry. Merry's eyes widened for a second, but he nodded glumly.

"It's all our fault," Merry confessed, hiding his face in his hands.

"It's no one's fault but mine." Frodo's voice sounded sad, distant, and raspy, due to days of silence. "I was supposed to keep her safe, and I didn't."

"You shouldn't have had to keep her safe!" Sam protested. "Her horrible father...that wretched man...he is the real hobbit to blame in all of this, Mr. Frodo!" Once again, Merry and Pippin nodded in agreement.

Frodo sighed. In that sigh, several months of stress and agony were released. The tension in the room fell significantly. After a few moments of silence, Frodo swallowed.

"I loved her, you know," he whispered, staring into the fire. His voice was cracking, tears leaking from his sad eyes. "Everytime she came back with more bruises, it was as if they were my own. "

Sam nodded. He patted Frodo's hand. "We know."


End file.
